Newcastle-Online comment: June 29th 2004
15 Months Of Football & Transfer Hell
Our
last transfer fee signing - Darren Ambrose - was signed in March 2003
for £1m - 15 months ago. Since then we have seen two players come
through the door, one a free signing and the other
a loan signing who Bobby has deemed not worthy of signing permanently
on a free transfer. In 15 months we haven't spent a penny in the transfer
market.
Since then we have went from 3rd place and looking a genuine threat
to challenge for the Title with everything rosy in Geordie's garden
to 5th.
With a painful night of spot-kick woes leaving us bereft of Champions
League football. 7 league games for our first 3 points. League Cup
elimination at the first hurdle, at home and against a team who were
looking to bounce back into the Premiership following relegation.
Injuries. 7 of our players being accused of one of the most despicable
crimes known to man. Bobby resigning. Shearer being sold to Liverpool.
Steve "I'm a Geordie you know" Bruce being appointed. Fat Fred trying
to swap his fleet of Rovers for Rolls Royce's. FA Cup elimination
after beating a team in round 3 who we hadn't beat away from SJP in
32 years. More injuries. Losing our world-class £7m striker for only
£2m (at a profit of course). Making a mint from selling wor Nobby
to a so-called lesser team who he inspired to finish level on points
with us. Finding out Kermit the frog isn't the only muppet. More injuries.
Last minute goals (against). Lost ground. A crap pitch. Having one
of our own players score a last minute equaliser against us and celebrating
the fact. Learning of said player refusing to put on the Black & White
shirt in a UEFA Cup Semi-Final. UEFA Cup Semi heartbreak. Mass booing
and a 40,000+ evacuation with 10 minutes to go. A lap of dishonour.
Bobby's public tantrum. Missing out on Champions League football again
and still no trophy - all thrown in just to add insult to injury...aye
it's been a shitty past 15 months.
OK so Bobby resigning, Shearer being sold and a placky Geordie taking
over weren't exactly true - but we still had to endure those rumours.
15 months of hell tis was...and that's just the football (football
being an operative word). Oh, and the Smoggies managed to win a trophy
for the first time in their history. Makes you sick doesn't it?
What made those 15 months even more intolerable and despairing (for
me anyway) was the fact that we didn't spend any money in the transfer
market in either window.
In the Summer of 2003 we were linked with all manner of players, some
great, some good, some not so good. As supporters Summer time is for
you and I, a time when you and I get to be the manager of our beloved
club, the time when you and I draw up our list of targets and get
excited like little bairns at the prospect of the Toon buying one
or two from our 'wish lists' and although we chastise the rumours
of potential signings, especially the bull-shit rumours, we secretly
love them really because dreaming of new players, trying to fit them
into the squad, wondering what impact this and that signing could
make, makes the long boring Summer months more excitable - we live
for it, I do anyway (I did). We were denied this right and 15 months
on from our last money signing we are now on the defensive as the
rumour mill clicks into gear once again.
Whenever a player is now linked or rumoured to be a target of Newcastle,
we scrutinise the speculation like never before. A potential target,
link or signing is either too old, too young, past it, not good enough,
has a bad attitude, money grabbing, too lazy, not skilful enough,
a reject, too lightweight, not tall enough, too beefy etc. etc. If
we went in for Ronaldo (the Real one) we would pick faults in him;
he's got dodgy knees, he's too fat, he's not the same player he used
to be...
This is a classic defence mechanism that we have built around ourselves
regarding potential transfer signings - we are setting ourselves up
to accept the worst case scenario - not spending a penny in the transfer
market (again). 15 months of what seems like a million players having
been linked without one of them coming through the door, constant
noises made by Fat Fred and Bobby that the money is there and that
we will strengthen without anyone coming through the door have all
dented our senses and distorted our views.
We were denied the right of every supporter in the Summer of 2003
and January 2004 when our hopes, anticipations and excitement at the
possibility of seeing a new face or two (that cost money) added to
a squad badly needing fresh bodies was dashed without even a hint
as to why - which lead us down another merry path of speculation;
are we skint? Does fat Fred trust Bobby with money? Do we have to
sell to buy? All of which has left us teetering on the brink of a
mental breakdown. 15 months of football & transfer hell.
We've hard worse years, we've had worse times, but have we had a more
frustrating 15 months? Bearing in mind the expectations of both the
club and us supporters 15 months ago. We dreamt of trophies, Champions
League football and big name signings - the first two are no guarantee's
but Newcastle has always splashed the cash, that was guaranteed...but
still we wait as the month of July 2004 approaches. Will Fat Fred
deny us once again?
New signings don't just add to a squad or improve the first-team,
new signings gives everyone a lift, instills new belief and hope,
a new signing or two would bring a sigh of relief that would puncture
the clouds on Tyneside and bring sunshine to our lives. If Prozac
is the drug of depression, new signings is the drug of supporters.
15 months without a fix...we need our hit, we want it and we demand
it.
For the love of money...spend some Freddy! |
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